The founder of failed social media app Fling pleaded guilty to kicking his girlfriend in the stomach

Tech entrepreneur Marco Nardone pleaded guilty to
assaulting his girlfriend at a domestic violence court in
London on Thursday.

He reportedly kicked Toni Allcock in the stomach in a
row over his ex-girlfriend. He is due to be sentenced on
January 25, 2018.

Nardone founded photo messaging app Fling, which made
headlines earlier this year when it went bust after raising $21
million.

Marco Nardone, the founder of failed photo messaging app Fling,
has pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, The Times and MailOnline report.

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A domestic violence court in London was told how Nardone dragged
his girlfriend Toni Allcock by her hair and kicked her in the
stomach on December 12, at his £2 million ($2.7 million)
Hammersmith flat. The pair were reportedly arguing about his
ex-girlfriend sleeping at the apartment.

"It was quite a sustained assault. He grabs her by the neck with
both his hands and she was shouting, 'Leave me alone.' He slapped
her across the face and she managed to get out of the flat's
front door into the communal hallway. He locked her out of the
flat and she banged on the door, demanding to be allowed back in.

"She tried to press the block's concierge bell in the hallway,
but Mr Nardone prevented her doing that by covering the bell with
his hand. She made for the lift and he followed her and dragged
her back towards the flat by her hair. Again she made for the
lift and CCTV shows Mr Nardone blocking the lift's doors from
closing and he kicked her in the stomach and she fell to the
floor."

The magistrates reportedly ruled that the case was serious enough
to warrant a pre-sentence probation report. This means that
Nardone's background and criminal record will be considered as
part of his punishment.

caption

Fling CEO Marco Nardone.

source

Fling

How Fling catapulted Nardone into the spotlight

Nardone made headlines in February this year when Fling went
bankrupt, leaving several employees unpaid and debts of £880,997,
including a £120,268 debt with Twitter, and a £45,068 debt with
Google.

Nine former employees that Business Insider spoke to said
that mismanagement at the top of the company was a major issue.
Several of them said they believed Nardone's behaviour changed
significantly during Fling's lifetime, while others told stories
of mysterious girls around the office and wild party weekends.

Nardone dreamed of turning Fling into the next Snapchat and
compared himself to Evan Spiegel, according to one former
employee, but Fling never made any revenue. Despite that, Nardone
still enjoyed first class flights, Ibiza hotels, and
Michelin-star restaurants on work time.

Fling allowed people to send photos and videos to strangers
around the world. The random recipients could then chat and reply
to the sender. The app also showed "Flingers" a map of where
their Flings had landed. Within weeks of launching, people were
using the app to send nude photos and sexual material to
strangers.

At its peak, Fling claimed to have 4 million users on its app,
who sent a total of 50 billion messages. However, the company
burnt through the last of its millions in August 2015, according
to documents produced by bankruptcy administrators.

Photos on Facebook and Instagram show that Nardone and Allcock
went travelling during the administration process. The
entrepreneur visited Bora Bora, Nice, Venice, the Maldives, and
Miami all in the space of a few months.

Nardone has launched a new app called Gig FM. The app
was incorporated by Nardone on January 23, less than half a year
after Fling filed for bankruptcy, according to a document filed with Companies House.
The app allows musicians to broadcast live performances to Gig FM
users in exchange for "Gift Points" that can be cashed out.

Nardone has had something of a privileged upbringing. He attended
the £37,000-a-year Charterhouse boarding school before studying
physics at Imperial College London.

He then worked as a trader for Credit Suisse for a year before
becoming a technology entrepreneur. His father, who invested more
money in Fling than anyone else, is the multimillionaire founder
of Enotria Winecellars, a successful wine business that
distributes wine and spirits to bars and restaurants around the
UK.